Deftones Bassist Chi Cheng Dead At 42

In 2008, Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a serious car accident that caused him to be ejected from a vehicle in California and left him in a coma for over four years. The 42-year-old musician and beloved band member died over the weekend.

Cheng’s mother, Jeanne Marie Cheng regularly used the site One Love For Chi to post updates as to her son’s condition for fans. The site was set up be fan Gina Blackmore in order to help earn money for Cheng’s family to cover some of his extensive and ongoing medical costs. According to the blog post by Mom J, Cheng was taken to the emergency room on Saturday where his heart just stopped.

The Sacramento Bee covered the news on Sunday, noting that recently Cheng had shown signs of improvement. He was upgraded to a partially conscious state and could even move some fingers.

Cheng originally joined Deftones in 1988 and was later a part of the group when it produced memorable hits, including “White Pony.” The band continues to produce music and perform under the Deftones moniker with Sergio Vega on bass. A memorial service was planned for Sunday evening in Sacramento, California.

You can check out a performance from the band, below, or hear from other musician’s on Cheng’s passing over at Noisecreep.